toledoblade.com --

Overnight storms dumped several inches of rain on roads in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, closing them at scattered locations early Thursday. Authorities were warning motorists to slow down and follow detour signs.

Between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, about 3.5 inches of rain fell at the Toledo Express Airport and just under 5 inches fell in Adrian and Lenawee County, said Brian Wimer, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather, a private weather-forecasting service in State College, Pa.

The hardest hit were Lenawee and Fulton counties, with Toledo and Lucas County affected to a lesser degree, authorities said.

NWS ISSUES WARNING

The National Weather Service in Cleveland has issued a flood warning for small streams in Lucas County until 10:15 a.m. Thursday.

VIEW: Local radar
TRACK OUTAGES: Current System Outage Map (FirstEnergy)
OUTAGE ASSISTANCE: Reporting, preparation (FirstEnergy)
VIEW: Live NWS weather radar, forecasts and road conditions

TOLEDO AREA FORECAST
• Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before noon. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 74. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. North wind between 5 and 7 mph.

• Independence Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. East wind between 5 and 8 mph.

• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm.

• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Light north wind.

• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.

• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

• Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.

No weather-related serious injury accidents were reported as of 8 a.m.

High water closed US 20 at Fulton County Road 7 in both directions until further notice early Thursday. An alternate route was established via State Rt. 64, US 20-A, and State Rt. 109, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Other major road closures in the area included I-475 at Corey Road, Reynolds Road north of Airport Highway, and Navarre and Woodville roads at the CSX railroad.

The Oregon municipal building was completely surrounded by water, Oregon police said.

The state transportation department was advising motorists to use extra caution on the following major roads in Lucas, Wood, and Ottawa counties where high water had caused traffic restrictions:

• US 20-A between Crissey Road and Albon Road in Lucas County;

• Berkey Southern Road between Bancroft Street and Central Avenue in Lucas County;

• Central Avenue at Washburn in Lucas County;

• Central Avenue near Secor Metropark in Lucas County;

wWest River Road between Hull Prairie Road and I-475 in Wood County;

• State Rt. 579 between Williston Road and State Rt. 2 in Ottawa County;

• State Rt. 358 at the intersection of State Rt. 2 in Ottawa County;

• State Rt. 2 between North Russell Road and Ottawa County Road 248 in Ottawa County.

Funnel clouds were spotted in Lucas and Ottawa counties during a severe thunderstorm Wednesday night that packed winds of up to 54 miles per hour and knocked out power to about 5,700 electric customers in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Hundreds of them were still without power Thursday morning, authorities said.

A funnel cloud was described as rotating in western Lucas County near Holland by Lucas County sheriff’s deputies about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Lucas County tornado sirens were activated about 7:50 p.m.

Several trees and power lines were reported down in northwest Toledo and Holland, causing power outages to about 3,000 customers in the Toledo area, a FirstEnergy Corp. spokesman said.

In Michigan, several downed trees closed U.S. 127 in Lenawee County’s Addison for about an hour Wednesday night as the storm dropped about two inches of rain in southeast Michigan.

About 1,900 homes and businesses were without power in Lenawee County, about 640 in Hillsdale County, and 200 in Monroe County, a Consumers Energy spokesman said.

Thursday, morning showers were likely, but temperatures were expected to reach the 70s, according to the National Weather Service.

Friday will be mostly sunny, with daytime highs in the upper 70s. The weekend is expected to be clear with highs in the low 80s, the agency said.

"We may see a shower or thunderstorm in the first half of the day," Josh Newhard, an AccuWeather meteorologist said.

"This storm was a result of a cold front moving across the Great Lakes, which should be moving through by the evening hours," he said.

A pedestrian on Madison Street in downtown Toledo braves the rain and wind gusts to reach his destination.
( THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH )

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Funnel clouds spotted; winds down power lines in region

From earlier editions of toledoblade.com.

By BRIDGET THARP
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Funnel clouds were spotted in Lucas and Ottawa counties during a severe thunderstorm last night that packed winds of up to 54 miles per hour and knocked out power to about 5,700 electric customers in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, authorities said.

A funnel cloud was described as rotating in western Lucas County near Holland by Lucas County sheriff's deputies about 7:45 p.m.

Lucas County tornado sirens were activated about 7:50 p.m.

Several trees and power lines were reported down in northwest Toledo and Holland.

About 3,000 customers were without power in the Toledo area, a FirstEnergy Corp. spokesman said.

Elizabeth McCartan races to her car on 11th Street while trying to shield herself from the driving rain.

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